Fresno police share body cam of moment officer narrowly escapes a gunshot to the head

Wild bodycam footage shows the moments a Fresno Police officer came within millimeters of losing his life.

The newly-released video shows the tense moment an unnamed officer attempted to take a man into custody before the suspect pulled out a gun and shot him. The bullet struck the top of the baseball cap the cop was wearing, according to police. The critical incident video was posted by the Fresno PD on Friday.

The dramatic shooting unfolded in the evening of Dec. 7, 2025, when officers patrolling the central Fresno area spotted two men in an alley near a warming fire.

One of the officers recognized the man as Bradley Nicholson, 41, on post-release community supervision.

When police asked the man his name he lied and said “Jason.” Nicholson then resisted arrest and tried to get away.

Bodycam footage from the officer showed the cop repeatedly attempting to get Nicholson to relax and threatening to take him down.

“I’m going to drop you,” the officer said, as Nicholson repeated from him to “let go,” and claimed to not be on parole.

As the two men struggled, Nicholson reached for a gun on his side and pulled away from the officer before he fired a shot at the officer’s head, striking his hat  and knocking it off his head. Amazingly, the officer was completely uninjured.

The officer would later explain that he felt the “burning sensation of the bullet pass through his hair.”

The officer who had just been shot then discharged his weapon and took off after Nicholson who had run away.

Bodycam footage showed the second officer responding to the first officer being shot.

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“Freeze, Police,” and “Show me your hands,” the second officer yelled at Nicholson, and then fired a shot at Nicholson, striking him in the left cheek, according to police. 

In a post-incident interview, officer two said he saw the officer’s hat fly off his head and he thought Nicholson had possibly killed the first officer. 

Nicholson then took shelter in a carport while still armed, according to the police.

Despite being fired upon, the officer who was shot remains calm the entire time in the video as the two cops attempt to get Nicholson to drop his weapon and surrender peacefully.

The SWAT team was called out and after about 90 minutes, Nicholson finally dropped his firearm and surrendered to police. He was transported to the hospital and survived his injury. 

Nicholson has been charged with five felonies, including attempted murder, two counts of assault on a peace officer, and possession of a gun as a felon, according to court records. 

No officers were hurt in the exchange, police said. 

The California Post contacted the Fresno Police Department for comment.